Eleazar David Meléndez

Rising sales of Smoothies and premium coffee likely helped boost the fourth-quarter 2011 earnings of McDonald's, the world's biggest fast-food chain, by 11 percent.

The volatility, panic, and the resulting tightening of investors' purses that dominated credit markets for much of 2011 is giving way to calm, creating a flood of cash from investors now confident enough to put their money back into corporate bonds. Somewhat surprisingly, crisis-exposed financial institutions, even in Europe, have been able to take advantage.

A major Virgin Islands-based oil refinery partly owned by Hess announced on Wednesday that it was closing, news that has sent gas prices to seasonal highs.

Shares of transportation-focused companies were flying high Wednesday, chugging along to lead the market up after some blue-chip companies in the sector reported surprisingly strong earnings.

Gold futures rose slightly on Wednesday, as increases in the price of the precious metal were spurred on by a weaker dollar but limited by profit-taking. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, Gold for February delivery, rose $4.30, or 0.3^*1, to $1,659.90 an ounce.

Early Wednesday morning, the German Ministry of the Economy cut its forecast for that country's economic growth to near-recessionary levels. The market could not care less: a benchmark index for the local stock market was up, a sale of the government's sovereign debt was reported as drawing record demand, and another report showed investors were growing more optimistic on German equities.

Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK), a giant of the custody and trust banking sector, said fourth-quarter earnings fell 31 percent. Shares fell after the bank posted earnings 10 cents below consensus estimates.

When the Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) reports its quarterly earnings Wednesday morning, the results will be a reflection of an institution at a crossroads. BNY, an industry player widely known for its dominance in the sleepy turf of trust banking, is trying to muscle its way into the more aggressive corners of Wall Street trading. Earnings could show what it's like when a bank occupies the worst of both those worlds of finance.

As Wall Street waits for Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) -- the fifth-largest U.S. bank by assets and one of the most powerful banking institutions in the world -- to report fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, the question most analysts seem to have is not whether the earnings release will be underwhelming, but just how bad the hit will be.

If their prospects continue to meet the projections its executives have set so far, 2012 will be a sterling year for Fortuna Silver Mines (NYSE:FSM), a Canada-based silver mining venture that currently operates two mines in Latin America.

The IBT 1000 List of the fastest-growing public companies in the world -- which debuts today for what its editors hope will be yearly issuance -- is a reflection of the engines driving the world's economic growth.

Fitch Ratings analysts continued their saber-rattling over Italy on Thursday, making remarks observers fear signal a coming downgrade of that country's sovereign credit rating. The comments carry an element of the ratings agency playing catch-up to its two main competitors: New York-based Moody's Investor's Services and Standard & Poor's. Fitch currently holds a rating of A+ on Italian government debt, a notch above the ratings assigned by those competitors

While reports that the world's largest wind turbine maker was firing thousands of workers globally shook the renewable energy industry Thursday morning, the bad news did not seem to diminish investor appetite in solar energy stocks, which has picked up considerably over the past week.

The price of U.S. Treasuries has nowhere to go but down. Smart investors should take advantage of a market that is underestimating the possibility of a sudden drop in the price of those securities. They should also seek to sell off euros, a Wells Fargo strategist said Wednesday.

A day after re-affirming its top sovereign credit rating on Austrian government bonds, a research arm of respected French credit rating agency Fitch has issued a report noting the rapidly deteriorating level of confidence investors in the derivatives market are displaying towards that country's debt.

The head of global sovereign ratings for Fitch, one of the world's premier credit rating agencies, riled up the Italian government today by saying the country was the pivotal factor on which the European financial crisis hinges, and suggesting the country's credit rating could be further downgraded.

Bank of America Merril Lynch's (NYSE:BAC) move to fire one-fifth of the managing directors in its Asia operations, while significant, is only the latest sign foreign banks are jumping ship on investment banking opportunities within that market.

As the amount of people out of work in the country remains elevated, two recent court cases, in which judges specifically ordered criminal offenders to obtain employment in order to avoid harsher sentences, are raising questions among court observers.

Going on a short media blitz Monday afternoon, Wall Street power and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon sounded a highly optimistic note on the American economy, the housing market and even the chances of customers bilked by bankrupt broker-dealer MF Global getting their money back.

China's growing demand for energy means oil should fundamentally have the most upside when compared to other publicly traded commodities, a Goldman Sachs analyst told a financial strategy conference in London Monday.

Economic growth has led to an explosion in diabetes cases in India. The public health problem presents an opportunity for both the established multinationals, as well as some smaller American start-ups making their presence felt in the market.

BeachMint, a 14-month old social commerce focused fashion retailer, began shipping to Canada just a few weeks ago. The move was the beginning of a meticulously planned international expansion to come.

Gold mining stocks fluctuated around the unchanged mark during regular-session trading on Thursday, as miners tracked the price of physical gold, which saw some choppy trading itself.

PepsiCo's reported plans to lay off about 4,000 employees, if confirmed, would be only the latest in a round of mass layoffs large American manufacturers have announced or put into effect just 5 days into the new year.

A survey of primary dealers by the New York Fed showed much uncertainty among the 21 large banks that act as counterparties to the Fed's open market transactions.

An analysis released Tuesday by Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Parker suggesting U.S. equities will finish the year more than 8 percent lower than where they began is making those who follow the American stock market nervous. And for good reasons.

After closing the book on a wild and nerve-wracking year, investors greeted the first trading day of the year with a wide rally Tuesday -- bidding up equities, commodities and other risky assets across the board.

A Wall Street Journal article making the rounds this morning notes some big investors have turned bullish on the housing market in the past quarter. Among the big names mentioned are hedge funds run by SAC Capital Advisors LP, Blackstone Group LP and Goldman Sachs Group.

2011 was a great year to be an American corporation, as corporate profits rose and taxes fell.